1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus of the present invention relates to fluid line fittings. More particularly, the present invention relates to an adjustable ball fitting positionable on a fluid line such as a sewer line, for allowing directional changes in the fluid line over a wide range angle.
2. General Background
In laying out fluid lines, such as common household sewer lines, in the present state of the art sewer lines constructed of a plastic pipe known as PVC, which are buried underground to comprise these lines. It is often times during the construction of a sewer line from the point of connection to the point of the main sewer, the PVC line undergoes several directional changes. At present, there is available four types of fittings, which are placed onto the end of a section of PVC line so that the line may continue before options being (a) a straight-fitting, (b) a 90.degree. fitting, (c) a 45.degree. angle fitting, and (d) a 221/2.degree. angle fitting. Although these types of fittings are useful, one can image the restrictive use that these fittings provide, in view of the fact that very seldom will a sewer line have to change direction at precisely the degree angle that these three types of fittings provide. Therefore, one problem that may be often encountered is that if the ditch housing the line has been previously dug, and the change in direction does not match precisely with one of these three types of fittings, then it may be required that the ditch be re-dug in order to suit the proper angular fitting available.
Therefore, there appears to be a need in the art for a fitting that would allow the sewer line to have the ability to change direction over a multitude of angles, not to be restricted to the three particular angles available.
The question of a pipe coupling which are angulated moveable with respect to one another, have been found in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 39,691 issued to Ward, entitled "Pipe Coupling", relates to a pair of connected coupling members having a packing therebetween, in order to allow some flexibility in the coupling.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,291,508 issued to Kolthoff, Jr., relates to a flexible fluid joint utilizing rubber, and bonding the inner pipe section to an outer pipe section. The bonding of the pipe sections together result in a resilient or a flexible material such as synthetic or natural rubber, or plastic. This gasket intermediate the pipe sections may allow some flexibility in the connections of the pipe sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,769, issued to Bram, discloses a sealing element positioned within a socket cavity between an outer female socket portion of the pipe and around the male section, which would apparently allow some flexibility between the interior male section and the exterior female section of the pipe.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,510, issued to Bram, exhibits a sealing element which is a radially compressed elasomeric sealing element for locking a joint between two pipe elements whose axis have an angular deviation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,613, also issued to Bram, relates to a device for locking the joint between a male and female pipe end members against forces which would tend to separate the pipe elements and would allow some flexibility between the inner and outer pipes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,142, issued to Fujisawa, teaches a flexible pipe joint adapted to flexibly hold together end cubes of pipe made of rigid material having an elastic rubber body flexible holding the opposed end tubes an a spherical shell shaped reinforcing layer embedded into the plastic rubber body.